Change Over Memories
by Crystalmoon101
Summary: No matter how much you change, there is always a past that'll haunt you. No matter the denial, it'll always be apart of your history. Even a stubborn man like Van Kleiss clashes with it from time to time. Regret, guilt, anger, sorrow and pitty, all towards one boy, who's from his past and present...


**I know Van Kleiss's history and goal changes up around the show or is never clear, but we've all got our own idea about the man. Personal, I've always loved the idea that he actually once did care for Rex, back before the nanite project, and isn't as cold-hearted as he used to be. **

**Now, I have no doubt the writers just wanted him have always been a jerk and villain, but this concept adds more to his personality and opens up some interesting stories between Rex and him. Which is why I wrote this.**

**Not sure the exact placement, but definitely after Alliance, once Circe left, and Written in Sand, but before Six Minus Six.**

***Whispers* Also a tiny bit of Brex if you squint...**

* * *

**Synopsis****: **

**No matter how much you change, there is always a past that'll haunt you. No matter the denial, it'll always be apart of your history. Even a stubborn man like Van Kleiss clashes with it from time to time. Regret, guilt, anger, sorrow and pitty, all towards one boy, who's from his past and present...**

* * *

**Characters****:**

**Rex Salazar**

**Van Kleiss**

**Breach**

**Biowulf**

**Skalamander**

**Hunter Cain**

**Doctor Holiday**

**Agent Six**

**Bobo Haha**

**Caesar Salazar**

**Rylander *Flash Back***

* * *

**Warning****: Battle Damage/Blood**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Generator Rex, if I did, it would not be cancelled!**

* * *

It's not often some fool, other than Providence themselves, try and attack Abysus or Van Kleiss, even rarer to attack both at once. So, being in his own territory, Van Kleiss had his guard down with no expectations for today, planning to spend it by watching over his people.

Sitting on his broken throne, he watched many EVOs pass by, using the halls to enter and exit into different rooms, passing by their leader without a word. Only Biowulf and Skalamander stayed in place, right next to their leader like guard dogs. Breach was hovering around, always close to be called on command, but still doing her own thing.

The man rested his eyes, thinking to himself over plans he'd been mulling over. But they snapped open when he heard the distress speed of someone rushing in, their heavy and quick footsteps disturbing the silence.

Another EVO that served Van Kleiss dashed in, long dangling arms dragged behind them. "Master!"

Raising a brow, the older man allowed them his attention. "What is it?"

"Trespassers in the north! I don't know who they are, but they have some serious firearms." He panted, the long-distance finally getting to him. "A couple of us are already fighting back, but we require help."

Van Kleiss frowned, eyebrows knitted together. Someone dare enter their lands and start a fight? Well, it wasn't going to end well for these people. Yet he was curious, as it was clearly not going to be Providence, the EVO would have easily recognize them.

Lifting himself off his throne, the man swished his golden gauntlet. "Breach, if you may?"

As Biowulf and Skalamander joined his side, said girl dropped in from above, large arms hanging by her side. One lifted, swatting the air and allowing a red portal to ingulf the group.

Preparing himself, Van Kleiss straightened and cleared his throat, ready to either fight or talk, perhaps both. Skalamander and Biowulf were just ready to fight, Breach would be on standby and the other EVO just seemed thankful he didn't have to run back to the fight.

Dropping onto the ground of Abysus soil, Van Kleiss took in his surroundings. Even he needed a moment to figure out their location, as his homeland was rather large. He saw the edge of one of the many forests, one of their massive rivers feeding into it. Eyes following the water and ears catching the loud gunshots, he finally saw the sight of battle.

Puzzled, he didn't recognize these people, or their vehicles. Old cars, buses and some bikes, transformed into some zombie apocopates style rides, designed for ramming and tanking hits, along with intimidation. The owners of the frankly horrendous machines were all scattered around in different groups, their clothing matching their wheels. Covered in thick protection, magazines full of bullets strapped over and around them, all with distinct red masks covering their faces. A couple even displayed grenades and other bombs on their clothing. Clearly an odd bunch, but they knew what they were doing.

One group was surrounding their biggest vehicle, more precisely, a liquid tank that must have contained an unknown substance. Many struggled to push it, as it was somehow dug into the ground and required great strength to move, they were even using their truck to try and push or pull it. Judging by their direction, they were trying to push it into the river. Not knowing what filled that tank, it was concerning.

A couple of these lunatics were driving in their smaller vehicles, firing or knocking into some EVOs. Every time they got a hit, they screamed in victory, like teenagers going around and knocking mailboxes down, having no dignity.

The final group was standing around in a defence circle, shielding the people pushing the tank. Using their endless amount of bullets to gun down any EVO trying to breakthrough. Some of them had already fallen, broken or even eaten by some of the stronger members of Abysus. But their goal wasn't to take over the place, as Van Kleiss deduced. It was most likely to spill the contents of the tank into the river.

Sighing in annoyance and anger, he looked to Biowulf, ready to give his order, when his sharp eye caught something else. And the only reason he caught sight of it, was because of a familiar teen being thrown across the air.

Rex, the boy that he constantly fought and tested, crashed into the ground, hitting a nasty pile of jagged rocks. The one responsible let out an amused chuckle, walking towards the young EVO, eagerly holding up his gun to display it in confidence. The large man, covered head to toe in thick padding, knee and shoulder pads, heavy boots and a dull red mask hanging on his shirt, strolled towards the boy.

Said boy barely had time to pull himself out of the rocks when a fist struck him across the face, causing him to tumble to the side. Rex grunted, hissing in pain and biting his tongue, barely catching himself. When a shadow loomed over him, he instinctively rolled to the side, dodging the metallic boot that would have crushed his head.

Even from a distance, Van Kleiss noticed the boy's sluggish movements right away. Tired, dazed and hurt from the fight they've only just heard of. But he didn't know the human, having never faced him before. But it was easy to tell he was enjoying the boy's pain a little too much. Unlike Van Kleiss or someone like No Face, this torture towards the child wasn't out of anger or purpose, but rather for pure amusement and pitty hatred.

Now with that final piece of knowledge of the battle, the EVO leader began barking out orders, ready to kick these buffoons off his land.

"You are to go join the others down there." The man pointed to the EVO messenger, before pointing at the battle by the river. Then he turned to Skalamander and Breach. "Skalamander, you are to deal with the daredevils and their vehicles, while Breach, you are to begin removing these pests." Then he finally turned to Biowulf. "You're with me, we're going to be dealing with what I presume to be their leader."

And they all moved without a word. The other EVO joined his comrades, while Skalamander began using crystal shards to strike at the maniac drivers, popping their tires and causing them to crash. Red portals rapidly started to snatch the gunmen, causing panic throughout the group, but Breach simply smiled at their fear and bewilderment. And yet they didn't leave, still firing like mad, so you had to give them that.

Meanwhile, Rex failed to dodge another strike, his back crashing onto the ground. He could only be thankful that it was flat. But his energy was almost nonexistent, he couldn't move anymore, yet he refused to blackout. He wasn't going to give this man satisfaction by showing weakness.

"Guess I finally get to put you down…" The hunter chuffed, snorting lightly.

"Mgh...first time you'd fulfil a promise…" Rex groaned, wheezing and feeling his chest tightening.

Despite his eyes wide open, everything was hard to see. Blurry, especially around the edges of his vision. His ears were ringing, followed by blood pumping loudly against them. His head was spinning, feeling like nails were stabbing different parts of his brain. But the wounds across his body couldn't be ignored, like the ones with blood seeping out of them. It felt disgusting, feeling the red liquid pumping out of his body.

But then he became aware of a shadow over him. He screamed at his body, trying to move it, but it refused to listen, wanting to rest. His nanites were in a panic, trying to fix his wounds, guide his senses and still protect the child, but it was too much for them to handle. So he laid there as he heard the delusional man aim his gun, most likely at him. He wasn't ready to accept death, so he forced his eyes closed and prayed for help. And it came, but in an unexpected way.

The shine of a golden gauntlet caught the hunter off guard, allowing it to smash against him, successfully knocking his gun to the side and pushing him away from the young EVO. Clicking his jaw, the man narrowed his eyes and looked to the newcomers.

Van Kleiss retracted his gauntlet, already straightening and folding his hands behind his back. "As amused as I am by your...get up, I'd rather you leave my land." He raised a brow, getting a better look of the man. "Whoever you are…"

"Hunter Cain...We haven't met, but I've heard about you. The one who claims to be the leader of these...filthy creatures." Cain spat, disgust in his voice.

It honestly caught Van Kleiss off guard, but he didn't show it. He knew people were fearful or hated EVOs, but this man clearly took that up a notch. "I don't care."

"Doesn't matter to me, monster." And, without warning, he swiped back his gun and pointed it at the EVO Leader, firing without a second thought.

Van Kleiss didn't move, eyes narrowing as Biowulf jumped forth. With one swift movement, the EVO wolf swatted away the bullet and dashed in, defending his king. Hunter Cain pulled back, using his covered elbow to jab at the mutant. Biowulf grunted, taking the hit before flicking his claws, successfully cutting two long lines across the man's chest.

Cain slid back, swinging his large gun to knock back the beast. He looked down at the cuts. They weren't deep, barely nicking the skin. "It's going to take a lot more than that, mongrel."

"What?" Biowulf grumbled, highly offended and raising his claws again.

Suddenly, the bleeding boy spoke up, raising a shaky hand. "H-he's racist…" Groaning, he dropped his hand to his side and rolled onto his stomach.

"EVOs are an infection, not a race." Cain corrected with his false views, eyes locking onto Rex again.

The young EVO didn't respond, placing his hands on the ground as he tried pushing himself up. Biowulf ignored him and dove in for another strike, engaging with the hunter again. Moving his focus onto the metallic wolf, Cain finally moved his full attention away from the Providence agent.

Rex failed to push himself up, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. He didn't dare cry out or gasp, so he heavily breathed through his nose. But he opened his eyes when he heard the sound of boots shuffling through the dirt. Looking up, he made eye contact with his archnemesis.

He expected the older EVO to look amused, even smiling at the struggling boy. Surprisingly, he actually looked somewhat appalled, obviously looking over the wounds he could see from his angle. Rex scowled at him, feeling somewhat embarrassed from the staring. But with his enemy looking at him, he managed to push away some of the pain, forcing himself to his feet.

Van Kleiss, at first, felt a little pity for the child, but when he stood, he showed off the rest of his wounds. Bruises spread across his exposed skin, a nasty one darkening his left eye. Cut sliced across his body, mostly caused from the terrain, maybe even some from a knife, if Cain carried one. Now, plenty weren't causing serious bleeding, mostly creating long white, red or pink lines, but there was an unpleasant gash on his forehead, barely covered by his goggles. His clothes were torn and dirty from being knocked around. But what stuck out the most were three bullet holes across his body, one under his right knee, one on the left side of his stomach, and one in his left shoulder. All three were pouring out blood, sticking his clothes to his body, dirt already in the wounds. He could barely stand, having to put all his weight on his left leg, right arm dangling by his side, while his left arm hugged his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. Faint circuit patterns could be seen around the wounds, his nanites trying to deal with the damage. The pity the man felt quickly turned to horror.

And yet, the agent refused to back down, already turning towards Hunter Cain to keep fighting. His legs shook, but he bared his teeth and pulled his left arm away from the wound and held it up. Glowing blue circuit patterns flashed onto his hand, but it flickered, the sound of energy failing to start up, causing the boy to groaned and pull his arm back, covering his stomach again.

Reaching over, Van Kleiss placed his fake hand on the boy's shoulder. "Rex, I would recommend-" He stopped himself, eyes widening. "Get down!"

Without another warning, he yanked the boy down. The sudden jolt, that Rex was not prepared for, caused him to yelp in pain. But they were both able to dodge Biowulf, who was flung back and hit the ground, similar to Rex before.

Lifting his head, Van Kleiss looked to his follower, before looking to the attacker with displeasure. Hunter Cain was now sporting some nasty cuts, but he finally bested the beast and turned his focus to the other two EVOs. His eyes briefly looked to the younger one, allowing a smirk when he saw the child trying to curl up on himself, suffering from the damage done to his body. But then his attention turned to the older one, narrowing his eyes.

Van Kleiss really didn't want to give this man the time of day, but with Biowulf temporarily down, he would have to. He pulled his hands away from Rex, who promptly laid down and gave up on moving. As the older EVO moved to his feet, he glared at his gauntlet, which was now painted in some of Rex's blood. He was going to have to wash the darn thing later. And yet he couldn't help feeling a little sick to the stomach.

Catching sight of the man's gaze, Cain chuckled again. "Angry with what I've done to one of you."

Eyebrows furrowing, Van Kleiss looked at his opponent with a scowl. "He's not one of mine…"

"That didn't seem to stop him." Cain remarked, lifting up his gun. But when he saw he ran out of bullets, he huffed and placed it onto his back.

That statement confused Van Kleiss, causing him to tilt his head a little. But before he could even ask about it, Cain rushed in, throwing some heavy hits. Already reacting, the EVO ducked, dodge and twisted around. In one swift movement, he spun his gauntlet and smacked the man across the face. Cain stumbled back, but raised his hands and ran back in. He would give Van Kleiss credit, despite how old the man looked, he was rather fit and fast, but that meant Cain wouldn't hold back. He pulled back one fist and struck with the other, so as EVO leader dodged, he couldn't move in time for the other first, receiving a heavy hit to the stomach.

Coughing, Van Kleiss moved back and extended his gauntlet, flailing it around and constantly trying to hit the man, who parried with his plated elbows or dodges most of the time. When the ruler managed to get a hit in around the chest, he dashed in. Cain tried to punch him once more, but Van Kleiss ducked and twirled, raising his leg and kicking the man back.

Wiping his mouth, the hunter glared at his opponent. "I can see why you're their leader." He straightened, raising his gloved fists again. "But you can't protect them forever. Someone's got to exterminate you lot."

"Honestly, you make it sound like we're a plague or something." Van Kleiss retorted, still standing in a humble manner.

"You are, you're all the reasons we turn EVO. Once you're all gone, no one will turn ever again." Cain spue, his tone choleric.

That statement made Van Kleiss pause, trying to process such stupid logic. "You...You think that's how that works?" He enquires, thinking he was mistaken.

Grumbling, the bulky man clicked his knuckles. "It's how you get rid of a virus. You remove the infected."

The EVO squinted at him, dumbfounded. "I…" He uttered, tongue folding around in his mouth as he tried to think of a reply. "You are a moron…"

Glowering, Cain didn't say anything else and dashed in again. His opponent snapped out of it and raised his own arms in defence, already ducking and dodging the strikes again. But this time, Cain grabbed hold of the man, quickly using one of the many wrestling moves he'd learnt to flipped him and smash him into the ground.

Van Kleiss grit his teeth, bending his legs and rolled back onto his feet. But as he looked over the hunter, his eyes gazed behind the man, his lips twitching into a smile. Puzzled, Cain flicked around. A rather small, thin and pale girl stood behind him, clearly an EVO based on her massive hands and extra arms.

Breach's eyes gazed from behind her hair, narrowed in anger at the sight of her favourite being attacked, and what appeared to be her shiny wounded on the ground. So, without saying anything to the hunter, she raised all four hands and struck down, a large portal engulfing Hunter Cain. The last you could see of him was his shocked and horrified face, before vanishing.

Once he was gone, Van Kleiss dusted himself off and walked up to Breach, looking down at the short girl. "Where did you send them?"

"Somewhere…" Was all she said, eyes already looking away.

Skalamander eventually came up behind her, having followed her once they finished their jobs. Their leader looked past them, seeing all foes teleported away and the majority of their vehicles destroyed, except for a couple of trucks. The tank was still in the exact same place, so he would get to inspect that later. As for the EVOs linger around, many were already dealing with their wounds or removing bodies from both sides. Even if they lost a couple of their own, nothing terrible fell upon them.

"Master…" Biowulf chimed up from behind, catching the attention of all three.

When they turned, they saw the wolf kneeling by Rex. He wasn't attacking the boy, merely looking over his wounds, having no idea on what to do or say. Van Kleiss moved towards the two, Breach following very closely, eyes stuck on Rex. Salamander shuffled behind at his normal pace.

All four surrounded the wounded agent, whose eyes were barely open. Kneeling down, the leader used his real hand to lift the boy's up into a sitting position, trying to get a better look at the damage. The child's head merely rolled back, wheezing through his mouth in an uneven pace.

"Seis me va a matar …" The boy uttered in a daze. Then, without warning, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his entire body slumped into Van Kleiss's arms.

More alarmingly, his circuit patterns around the wounds faded as he passed out. This could mean two things, one, they shut off for some reason, or two, they've retreated further into his body to deal with internal and more fatal damage. Either way, it wasn't good.

Eyes widening, the older EVO felt a little panic for once. He didn't plan on the boy dying so suddenly at the wrong time. He glanced at his minions, weighing his options. Sighing, he began to pick up the boy, bridal style, despite the strange looks he would receive from his followers.

Once he picked up the boy in a stable position, he rose to his feet and turned to Breach. "Take us back to the castle. I have to see how I can help."

Without tearing her eyes away from Rex, the girl raised her hands and summoned a portal, dragging them all back to their base.

* * *

_"Uncle Kleiss, Uncle Kleiss!" A young voice called out._

_It was filled with such excitement and wonder. Eagerly calling to the man and his attention. It never failed to put a smile on his face, as it was one of the few things that could make his day. It was also one of the few things to drag his attention away from work._

_The pride and warmth he would always feel, now so faint. He can barely remember how it felt any more. And yet, it felt so close, always just out of reach._

* * *

"Master." Biowulf's voice spoke up, snapping him out of his daydreaming.

Lifting his head off the fist it rested upon, Van Kleiss looked to his second in command. He had been waiting for a report, sitting on his throne again. He realized he must have dozed off, a silly little memory from his past trying to pry at him again.

"I brought someone who can show you what happened." The wolf EVO explained.

Said someone stalked up the stairs. Its tentacles dragged across the floor as it made its way, gurgling lightly. Now, this one was special, shown by the yellow handprint on its chest. It was one of the EVOs Van Kleiss personally made, which meant it could connect to the man, allowing him to privately communicate with it, along with many other things. Right now, it was needed for one thing.

"Thank you, Biowulf. You are dismissed." The man waved his hand. He sounded tired, but it was mostly his mood, not his body.

Biowulf nodded silently, beginning to make his way down the stairs. The EVO shuffled to the side for him, before turning their attention to their master, bowing their head in respect.

"I was informed you were there when the fight started." Van Kleiss inquired, straightening in his seat.

The creature gurgled again, nodding its head and lightly flicking their whiskers. The man waved a hand, gesturing for it to come forth. Listening, the EVO dragged itself over and plopped itself in front of their leader, lowering their head.

Gazing at it, Van Kleiss raised his false and placed it on the EVO's forehead. Right away, he began to connect with its nanites, allowing him access to its own memories.

* * *

_It took a moment for the memory to settle, displaying the EVO's perspective. It was a little hard to interpret the view of something more animalistic than yourself. From what Van Kleiss could get, the creature had been strolling by the river with others, peaceful and quiet. That was until a loud horn was going off in the background._

_The EVO flung around, moving back as one of those dreadful trucks came barreling in, followed by the rest of the vehicles and Hunter Cain's men. Without giving them a chance, the men started firing, striking and provoking the creatures. Some were taken down immediately, some fled and others fought back against their intruders, including the owner of these memories._

_Every Time its vision settled, Van Kleiss could see Hunter Cain himself, hanging out the door of the truck holding the tank. His face hid behind his blood-red mask, but his eyes said it all. He was happy with the death and destruction that he was causing._

_And they continued, a couple of men unlatching the tank from the truck, preparing to toss it into the river. But as they got down to the final latches, a voice cried out, gaining everyone's attention, even the EVOs._

_"Hunter Cain!" Rex soared in, his boogie pack kicking up dust as he landed, standing between both EVOs and humans._

_Cain slipped his mask on, clipping it onto the collar of his shirt. "Surprised you figured it out so fast." He stepped forward as the boy looked to him. With a cocky smile, he rested his large gun on his shoulder. "Not a fan of my wild goose chase?"_

_"You're an idiot to mess with this place, trust me." The boy snapped, panting slightly. He must have flown quite the distance._

_"It's the core to all EVO, you think I wouldn't strike it one day?" Cain retorted, pulling the gun off his shoulder, glancing around and gesturing at the landscape. His eyes would narrow every time he looked straight at an EVO, loathing at the creatures. He looked to his men behind him. "Dump it in, I'll deal with the 'boy'."_

_His followers nodded, working double-time to remove the tank. The Hunter rushed in, heading straight for the boy and starting up the battle again._

_The memories became shaky again, as the EVO dodged and fought back, striking at the gunmen, even a couple of vehicles that dared to get too close. But occasionally, it caught sight of the battle between Rex and Hunter Cain. Of course, the boy's builds were proving to be difficult, shielding heavy hits and blocking bullets. Then how on earth did the slob of a man get the upper hand?_

_When the two clashed again, their faces were close to one another, yet they both shouted at each other. "You say you're protecting humanity, yet here you are, defending the tyrant and his monsters that threaten the innocent!" Cain bellowed, gritting his teeth, using his gun to push against Rex's smack hands._

_Grunting, the boy planted his feet. "It's a lot more than that!" He screamed right back at the man. Then, digging his feet even deeper, he managed the shove the lunatic back._

_That's when almost everyone heard the sound of something crashing against the ground. The EVO's vision looked to the truck, seeing the tank being successfully freed from its restraints. It must have slid off, however, because there was still time before it rolled into the waters._

_Rex was one of many to notice, but was the first to react. Quickly smacking Hunter to the side, he dashed past and summoned his smack hands again. Leaping forward, he reached towards the massive barrel. Just as the thing dropped off the side, he caught it at an awkward angle. The tank appeared too heavy for him, but the position he was in was causing the most problems, as he risked falling in himself. Planting his feet, he started dragging it back up. However, this left him open and vulnerable..._

_Despite all the gunfire in the background, one distinct one could be heard, as it was followed by Rex's shock and cry of pain. The owner of the memories had looked back to see a bullet struck the boy under the knee. The Young EVO nearly toppled over, the tank nearly slipping out of his smack hands, but he gripped harder, shifting all the weight to the other leg, lifting the tank into the air._

_"Strike one…" The sickening owner of that voice chuckled, already caulking his gun again_

_The Hunter fired again, just as the boy held the tank above himself, this time striking the side of his stomach. The poor child nearly dropped the tank on himself, his body limping to one side, blood flowing out of the freshly made wounds._

_"Strike two…" Cain coldly remarked caulking his gun once more._

_And yet, Rex somehow managed to keep himself steady for long enough to slam the tank down, digging it into the ground so it couldn't be moved. He finally had time to face his opponent again, but the third gunfire echoed, a bullet stabbing into the boy's shoulder. His smack hands fell apart, right arm falling limp as the left one instantly covered the new wound._

_With his body mostly slumped, he struggled to look up at the Hunter, legs shaking and barely holding himself together. But Cain's demeanour didn't change, a terrifying smile plastered on his face, proud of his work._

_"Strike three…" He uttered, loud enough for the boy to hear._

* * *

Van Kleiss took his hand away, releasing himself from watching those memories. He had seen all that needed to be seen. His theory on the tank being dumped in the water was correct, and it also explained how the man got the upper hand on Rex. The boy put himself at risk to save the river from being tainted.

He briefly stood there, thinking over what he saw. He looked to the EVO, nodding his head softly. "Thank you, you may leave…"

Said EVO grumbled, taking careful steps as it began its descent down the stairs. It was happy to have helped its master.

Van Kleiss waited for it to leave his sights, before he too made his way down the stairs and into one of the many halls. With that sorted, he wanted to check up on their special 'guest'. The moment they had gotten back to the castles, Van Kleiss took the child to one of the old medical rooms, treating the wounds.

When he reached the room, he peered through the door's shattered window. Inside, he saw his patient laying deathly still in bed. Sitting to the side was Breach. The girl didn't move, all four arms resting on her lap, eyes never looking away from the boy. She barely left his side, even when Van Kleiss was stitching the boy up. It was unusual, as she never stayed in one place for long.

Opening the door, the man strolled in, arms resting behind his back. The girl didn't even look at him, yet acknowledge he was there but shifting her head a little, so he didn't need to say anything. Instead, he examined the wounded agent.

They had removed him down to his shorts, needing to bandage and stitch up all the wounds covered by his clothing. His jacket and shirt hanging on a nearby chair, goggles, earpiece and anything small like his phone laid on the desk. The boot pants that Rex called 'poots' had to be thrown out, as they were drenched in blood, hopefully he had spares at home.

Most of his chest was covered in already red-stained bandages, some stitching poking out from underneath. A couple of bruises had vanished, but the darker ones had yet to even start healing. Thankfully, his nanites were still working, just dealing with internal problems that needed the most attention. The boy hadn't moved since he passed out, not even when Van Kleiss had to removed the one bullet that didn't pass through his body, which happened to be the one under his knee.

Overall, it was going to take time to recover and Rex would feel like absolute garbage when he awoke, but he would live, with no permanent damage, other than small scars here and there.

And yet, a strange feeling never left the older man. It was familiar, like he had been in this situation before. It made him feel nauseous and nervous, like something could turn south any second now. He frankly hated it and ignored it the best he could, no point in dwelling on unreasonable behaviour.

His ears suddenly noticed something. He heard faint talking, but it didn't sound like anyone he knew, or that they were actually here. Breach seemed to notice it too, her brows furrowing and tapping her fingers in annoyance.

"It keeps talking…" She grumbled, lips twitching into a harsh frown.

He raised a brow, looking to her. "What is?"

Without saying anything, she lifted one of her large hands, pointing a finger towards Rex's items on the desk. Following her directions, the man walked over and gazed over them. It was then that he realised that his earpiece was responsible for the noise. Picking it up, he held it near his ear.

Holiday was on the other side, her voice full of worry and fear. Sounds like she'd been calling none stop, as she sounded tired. _**'Rex? Please respond. We can't track you but I know your communicator is online. We need to know if you're alright. Please respond…'**_

He didn't say anything, simply lowering the earpiece and placing it back. It informed him that Providence doesn't know where he is, which means he didn't have to expect them rampaging onto his land, looking for the boy.

"The babysitters…" Breach huffed, finally glancing away, tugging at her skirt lightly. "We offer more, while they tie him down…" She sounded displeased, maybe even a little confused. She just couldn't understand Rex's relationship with Providence. "Why doesn't he want to stay?..." She looked to her leader, curious for the truth she sought.

"He's a complicated boy, along with being fed lies and false hope. He doesn't know the full story without his memories, so he relied on the wrong people…" He explained to her, at least from how they viewed it.

Her eyes lingered back to Rex. Reaching a hand over, she gently brushed his messy hair with her shaky fingers. He still didn't react. She then looked up at Van Kleiss once more. "Can we make him stay?..." Her eyes gave him a pleading look, as if they found a lost puppy.

"Mmh, perhaps." The man mused. But his eyes drifted down to the boy, that strange feeling still lingering in the deepest pit of his stomach. "Perhaps…"

* * *

_A younger Van Kleiss worked at his desk. It wasn't much, just proofreading some paperwork he had printed out. But he had a guest with him, one who had been shockingly quiet. Said guest was sitting on the windowsill, the warm morning light causing his brown tanned skin to glow. He was a small child, very well known to wander into the man's lab at random. Van Kleiss had learnt some time ago to wait and see what the boy would do. Some Days he eagerly wanted to play, other days he would just watch the man work in silence._

_The child's eyes scanned the outside world, resting his chin on his hands. "I hate being here…" He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence with such a sorrowful statement._

_The scientist lifted his eyes off his work, a little caught off by the tone of voice. "Now, now, Rex."_

_"It's true! I have no friends here, it's boring and I don't fit in…" Rex grumbled, hugging his arms, continuing to look outside, squinting to shield his eyes from the sunlight._

_"You have your parents, brother and Rylander." Van Kleiss pointed out, shuffling his paperwork._

_It wasn't an uncommon subject that the boy would bring up. He was known to bring it up with the man, as he was the only one to either intently listen to the child's annoyance and not dismiss it as childish behaviour, or wasn't involved with the problem at hand. The man also knew how to keep a secret, so there was no fear for Rex of his family learning of his discomfort and negative views towards them._

_"It's not the same…" The boy huffed, briefly sparing a glance at the older man. His large brown baby eyes displayed all sorts of emotions that a child could never control. "besides, they're always busy." He pointed out, eyes looking back outside._

_Noticing a new look in his eyes, which he identified as curiosity, Van Kleiss placed his neatly stacked papers to the side, pulling himself off his seat. Calmly walking over, he followed the young child's gaze. They were directly looking at the nearby woods._

_The man knew them very well, as he would take afternoon strolls through them, taking a break from his work and the people around him, especially the rude ones. It was nice to listen to what nature provided as its own music, along with taking notes that he'd study later. __But the look in the boy's eyes said more to him than just simple curiosity. It gave him a bad feeling that the child might have done something in secret again._

_"You keep staring at the forest." Van Kleiss openingly noted, resting his arms behind his back._

_Snapping out of his trance, Rex looked over to his older friend, blinking. "I, ah...it looks interesting." His eyes looked away, obviously lying._

_"Rex…" The man gently pushed._

_"...Ok, I stuck out once! But I chickened out before reaching the edge of it." Rex pouted, crossing his arms and huffing quietly. He was embarrassed, but more for the fact he chickened out, not being caught in a lie._

_"It's dangerous, you know that." The man explained, letting a little disappointment seep into his voice._

_The wildlife itself wasn't that dangerous, the worse you could run into was an unhappy stag during mating season, or the one or two black bears that roamed. It was mostly falling into covered pits, tripping off ledges or getting caught in some of the larger rivers._

_"But it's somewhere other than here." Rex mumbled, the sound of danger barely affect him._

_But Van Kleiss couldn't blame him. He was a young child, not designed to be stuffed up in laboratories, unlike his older brother. Even with being a scientist himself, the man couldn't stand the place from time to time either. So, as he looked out at the forest again, a small plan popped into his head._

_"Hmm, tell you what." He looked back at Rex, catching the child's attention. Kneeling down, he offered a pleasant smile. "Next time I go out on one of my walks, you can join me."_

_Blinking, Rex tilted his head in disbelief. "Really?"_

_The man nodded. "As long as you listen and stay close to me." He promised, hoping Rex would follow those conditions._

_Without warning, like normal, the boy lept forward and hugged his friend, tiny arms barely reaching the entire way. "Thank you, Uncle Kleiss!"_

_The man faintly stiffened, still so unsure of such attention he's always missed out on. But when he felt himself settle, he allowed a hug of his own, feeling the boy giggle in his arms.._

* * *

The sound of the child's giggles echoed as he woke. The warm memories became chilling when he had to remind himself they were just memories, ones from a long time ago. The EVO king stared at the roof, laying in his master bed that was frankly too big, even for him.

Sadly, he didn't own a functioning clock that told him what time it was, so he sat up and looked out the open window. He could partially see the moon, its position suggesting it was around three in the morning. He'd learnt to read the placement of the sun and moon some time ago, given he had a lack of basic technology in the beginning of his ruling.

Despite how late it was, he didn't dare go back to sleep. He would be plagued by memories again. They were a very common thing, whether he was deep in slumber, or almost dozing off on his throne. All related to his past, mostly negative moments, like how people would treat him. However, it appears they've taken a sudden divergent, display positive memories that he tried forgetting. He didn't want to think about them, they were meaningless now, only wanting to be pushed by the negative thoughts that would justify his guilt and actions.

But he knew very well why these memories were seeping back in, it wasn't that big of a mystery. It was all thanks to their 'guest' and his sudden condition.

He shouldn't listen to that feeling in his gut, as it was a feeling he thought died years ago. And he knew seeing the boy wouldn't help his case. Still, he felt like he had to, or else he would never fall back asleep and settle these emotions.

So, with a frustrated sigh, the old EVO dragged himself out of his bed, slipping on his boots and grabbing his ragged coat. He didn't have to look his best, but had to still look presentable if he were to run into one of his followers.

Peering out of the room, he could note a couple of guards around the place, sitting in silence and in defence. As he slid out of his room, the guards took notice of their master, awake and moving. It was surprising, but none dared to say anything, quickly looking away and pretending not to notice the man.

He passed by a couple of other guards, but the majority of the EVOs were in slumber, or the nocturnal ones were out in the woods, as not to wake anyone by mistake. It was peaceful during these times. Despite how wild and chaotic EVO could be, they knew when to allow the silence in.

He finally arrived outside the dreaded room. Biting his lip, the man mentally shook his head, not believing he was going through with this. But he didn't stop himself from open the door and stepping in.

And the boy still laid there, no different in his sleep, damage to his body or the room around him. However, it appeared Breach had left, most likely to sleep in her own world. There was also a blanket covering Rex, which Van Kleiss was sure he didn't give. Once again, it would have been from Breach. She wouldn't want the boy to freeze, given Providence probably had heaters or something.

Stepping over, his shadow loomed over the boy. But he wasn't hostile, nor angry towards the child. Why would he be? He saved a part of Abysus and its people, risking himself in the process and was now stuck in the hands of the man he called his arch-nemesis.

No, the man was mad at something else. These positive memories and emotions weren't going away anytime soon. The only reason they were so pointless, is because Rex himself didn't have these memories. Things would have been different if he remembered. He could have understood Van Kleiss, even trusting him again, the man was sure of it.

Letting out a tired sigh, the man crossed his arms. "Why did you have to change? It could have been so much easier if you remembered me…" He briefly looked outside, eyeing the moon as if it would suddenly grant him the wish he desired.

Frowning, the EVO leader looked around the room, not sure what to do. It was too early to check the child's wounds, nor could he talk to anyone about the situation at hand. So, when his eyes locked onto the earpiece once more, he mused to himself.

"At least someone seems to care about you." He remarked quietly, remember the distressed Doctor's calls.

He would admit, while he hated Providence and its people, he was thankful someone like Holiday was watching over Rex. She treated him like a person and offered the help he needed. White Knight never did and would never change, he was sure of it. Six, he could never read the man and doesn't know his motives.

Suddenly, the walls reflected a glowing blue light coming from behind him. The hum of energy combed his ears and he turned, eyes widening slightly. Rex's eyes were barely open, but radiated a gentle blue glow, circuit patterns appearing along parts of his body.

"Cinco minutos más, Vacaciones…" The young EVO murmur, eyes hazy and unfocused.

It appears his nanites were still working, but causing some hallucinations, distorting his senses momentarily. It shouldn't be harmful, but Van Kleiss wasn't sure what to do. Not even his own nanites did things like this.

Stepping towards the boy cautiously, he whispered softly. "Go back to sleep, Rex…"

The boy seemed to briefly notice him, yet surely saw something or someone else. "Seis, no me siento bien …" He crocked in his delirious state of mind.

Then, the glowing simply stopped. The boy's eyelids dropped and he fell back into a deep slumber, blissfully unaware of his situation or the man standing in the same room as him. It made Van Kleiss wonder how many times Providence had to deal with moments like these, it would have surely scared them in the early days of working with Rex.

And in some ways, it scared himself, while also heavily intriguing him. How close the nanites were to this one person. The way they functioned as one being so often, relying on one another, while also arguing from time to time. No one else has matched this level of harmony, even when Van Kleiss received Rex's old nanites. He could only turn people in EVO, nothing else or any of Rex's other abilities. And it couldn't have all come from the Omega, as he didn't always have it. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew very well a lot of this stemmed from the boy himself. So, no matter what the leader would do, he could never copy such abilities for himself, never...

* * *

All he was aware of was darkness. Despite how empty it felt, Rex wasn't scared, as it was a place he was used to. A safe haven for his mind as his nanites repaired his body, so he doesn't fight it, not anymore at least. Occasionally, he would hear them speak in binary, passing codes or noting small details for later. He swore he could hear them sometimes comforting him if he fell into a fit, but his thoughts were never clear enough to know if this was true or not.

He was never sure how long he sat in the darkness, but would be thankful when it began to fade, allowing his senses to return. It meant he was feeling better and should function enough to think for himself.

Touch or taste were always the first to come back. He was laying on a flat surface, something hard and frankly uncomfortable, but he did feel something soft laying long his body, so there was that. He had a slight metallic taste linger in his mouth, which was a clear sign of old blood. He was also extremely thirsty.

Sound followed next, but he could barely hear anything. No medical devices beeping or the sound of nurses and doctors chatting about. Instead, the faint sounds he could hear was what he presumed to be birds chirping by a nearby window. A couple of strange grunts and groans popped up in random directions, muffled by what he guessed were walls. He couldn't tell what they belonged to.

Sight tended to come last, but when it finally came back, he tried cracking his eyes open. Immediately, he groaned and shuffled his head, sunlight shining across his face. No wonder it felt so warm. He tried to move a hand, but his right arm flared up, causing him to groan louder.

Seems he caught someone's attention, as he heard some shuffling over to him. He cracked his eyes open again, seeing a blurry figure standing over him.

A hand brushed against his hair, trying to comfort the confused boy. But the hand wasn't normal, it felt bigger than his head, the long fingers twitching as they groomed his hair.

"Shhh…" A feminine voice whispered.

His entire body perked up in realisation. "B-Breach!?"

His vision snapped into place, seeing the portal wielder standing over him. Her own eyes watched over him, a soft look to them, seemingly worried for him. He knew she wouldn't hurt him in such a condition, but it wasn't her he was worried about. The birds, stiff bed, mossy covered room and Breach all helped him come to a conclusion, he was in Abysus.

With that knowledge in mind, he tried pulled himself out of bed, panic pushing his body. Yet the pain kept stabbing away at him. With his senses back, that meant the agony done to his body was too.

"Don't move, still hurt…" Breach insisted, using her large hands to try and hold him done, but not daring to cause more damage to the boy.

Wincing, he weakly tried swatting her away. "Not the kind of place I want to stay in." But he had to agree, he knew he couldn't move like this.

Once he stopped fighting against her, she pulled her hands back to her side, giving him a strange look. "Why not? We protect you…"

"...What?" He raised a brow, not believing her in the slightest.

"We helped you, fixed you." She gestured to his body, pointing out the bandages, which must have been recently cleaned. "I even brought gifts and comfort…" She then patted the blanket over him, using her smaller hands to gesture at the many toys laying on the bedside table.

He was a little surprised, not used to this gentle nature from her. "They're, Ah, nice, but I should really be- Argh!" He tried to sit up, only to feel his stomach twisting in on itself.

"Shhh, do not move, do not move…" She reached over, guiding him to lay back down before fixing his blanket. Once she was satisfied, she suddenly turned around and began walking off.

Blinking in confusion, he shuffled onto his side. "W-wait, where are you going?"

Without replying, she swished one of her hands, allowing a red portal to take her away to who knows where.

"...I hate it when she does that…" He groaned, taking a moment to rub his battered face against his pillow.

While he was alone, he used it to take a look at his surroundings. No doubt that he was Abysus, judging by the cracked walls with vines creeping up from below. That distinct earthy smell filling his nostrils and all those strange sounds from before would have come from the local EVOs, wandering the castle.

Straining his neck, he finally saw his things on the table nearby. His jacket and shirt had patches of dry blood staining them, but his goggles and phone looked alright. No signs of his 'poots' though.

He could also see the view from the few windows in his room. A bright morning sky, very few clouds and the sun shining in the corner. He had never seen a morning in Abysus, which normally had a red sky. It was rather pink at this time of day, some hues of peach and orange mixed in. Very different from the sky out at Providence, almost magical like.

He turned his attention to the side, as a red portal popped back up. Breach exited, smiling to herself, excited to have her shiny finally awake. But Rex felt himself stiffen when Van Kleiss stepped through, he had hoped that somehow he didn't have to see the man.

"Ah, I see you're awake and functioning, somewhat." He mused, taking in the sight of the bruised agent.

In return, the boy gave the man a filthy look. He didn't want to be here so he was happily going to show it, along with his displeasure towards the older EVO.

"Oh don't give me that look. I saved your life." Van Kleiss crossed his arms, as if addressing a whiny child at daycare.

Rex snorted, despite his dry and sore throat. "Something tells me it wasn't from the 'kindness of your heart'…"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Van Kleiss stepped over to Rex's side. "Say what you will, but I do suggest you stop moving so much. You'll tear the stitching."

"I don't want to be here…" The boy angrily muttered, as if saying this enough times will magically let him leave.

"Then that's unfortunate." The older EVO somewhat teased, receiving another dirty look from Rex.

He turned and walked towards one of the few cabinets that still functioned, searching around the inside of it. It appears there was some basic first add stashed away in it, including bandages, scissors, splint and so on. Eventually, the man pulled out a bottle of pills, reading over the label as he walked back to Rex.

"Take this, it'll help with the pain." He offered, holding the bottle out to the boy.

Rex glared at it suspiciously, as if expecting it to suddenly explode. "Full offences, but why would I accept drugs from you?..."

Biting his tongue to stop himself from losing a small amount of his temper, he gave the young Latino a look. "Look at the facts, Rex. You were weak, bleeding out and I could have turned a blind eye. You know very well I don't want you dead." He placed the bottle on the bedside table, figuring the boy would rather take them from a table than Van Kleiss's hand. "Besides, it would take something much stronger to effect your nanites and body harmfully."

Rex stared at him, then at the bottle, then at Breach for some reason. He was clearly debating to himself. But it seems like the pain outweighed his suspicions, shakingly taking the bottle and shuffling out two tablets.

After swallowing them, he finally decided to ask a certain question. "...How long have I been out?"

"Four and a half days." Van Kleiss stated, briefly looking outside the window.

"What?!" Rex squalled, sitting up suddenly, the pain in his body flaring up again. _'White Knight is going to kill me...scratch that, Holiday and Six are going to kill me!'_ He screamed internally.

Instinctively, Van Kleiss moved over to him and placed his gauntlet on the struggling boy. "Rex, I said to stop moving." He repeated, annoyance on his face.

At first, the boy kept struggle. Then he suddenly froze, eyes darting towards the table. "...My earpiece." He had noticed it earlier. It was still intact. "Give me my earpiece!"

Raising a brow, Van Kleiss left his side and moved towards the table. Carefully, he plucked the device off the table. For a moment, he stared at it in silence, as if he was considering it. "No." He turned, smirking a little.

Rex's eyes narrowed, using his elbows to sit up slightly. "Van Kleiss…"

Slipping the device into his pocket, he explained himself. "I don't need Providence to come barging in and causing me more havoc."

The younger EVO then looked to the girl in the room. "Then have Breach drop me off."

"No." He paused before swiping Rex's phone. He wasn't risking word getting out. "I may have saved your life, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you go." He began to stroll past Rex and towards the door, briefly stopping to look directly into Rex's eyes for his next statement. "Besides, perhaps now you'll see the glory of Abysus and finally get your head straight."

The boy's face displayed so many emotions at once. He bared his teeth in aggression, brows furrowed and looked ready to jump out of the bed and try and tackle the man. But his eyes failed on him, showing the twinge of fear and uncertainty he was feeling. He wasn't an idiot, he knew very well what kind of position he was in, and how Van Kleiss was going to take advantage of it.

Satisfied, he turned back to his neutral expression. As he strolled by Breach, he looked at her. "Get me if he tries anything." And with that, he left the two teens.

Looking between the door and her shiny, Breach eventually took her seat again, resting her hands on her lap once more. "Rex would love it here…" She could sense his fear and discomfort. His whole body was stiff, light breaths coming out as pants, caused by the previous struggling. She really wanted to show him the good they offered, she wanted him to stay. "Can play in the woods, be free of the nagging, not be called a monster…" Her eyes narrowed momentarily, faint memories of the cruel people she's come by flashed in her mind. "Find real friends…"

He stared at her, judging her words. He didn't seem convinced, as he laid back down. "I have real friends…"

Perking up, she tilted her head. "They don't treat you right…" She thought back on all those times she'd seen people like his caretakers leading him into danger, or arguments he had with the people he called friends.

"You're wrong…" He grumbled, rolling onto his other side, having his back to her. "Mgh, why do I even bother, you wouldn't get it…"

Her face fell. She didn't get it, but she one day hoped to show him what she meant. "We give freedom, what more could you want?..." She questioned, tilting her head.

"...Love…" Was all he uttered, gaze hardening to those words.

"Love…." The word apparently caught her interest, because she looked away, mulling over such a thing. "Love…"

* * *

_Of course, he was the one voted for such a meaningless task, they always chose him, for it meant they'd have a few minutes to discuss without him overhearing or giving his input._

_Van Kleiss had been told to find an old device in storage. Originally, the machine wasn't needed anymore, having fulfilled its purpose. But recent findings require the item. Sadly, their storage wasn't organized, most items tossed in without a second thought._

_Flicking on the lower lights, the man strolled in, eyeing everything he passed by. Plenty of devices, big and small, laid around, collecting dust. It seemed wasteful, but a lot was created every month, plenty for one time tasks._

_But then, he found something out of place. Kneeling down, he inspected his finding, it was a soccer ball, a very familiar one at that. But if it was here, then a certain child was close by. Sighing, he took the ball with him as he looked around, checking anywhere that could be a hiding spot._

_Eventually, he discovered the small boy, spotting his jagged hair poking out from his hiding spot. He was resting against the wall between two large boxes. He didn't even seem aware of the lights turned on, or the fact that someone entered the room. He just hugged his knees, staring at the ground as he thought to himself. He didn't appear upset, angry or even annoyed, more...depressed?_

_"Rex?" He lowered himself, cornered from what he was seeing. "What are you doing back here?"_

_The child didn't even move his head to look at him. "I don't know…" He wasn't lying, he seemed lost._

_Tilting his head and raising a brow, he gave a soft look. "Something wrong?" He knelt down as he asked._

_Rex sat in silence for a good while, as if pondering whether or not to actually say anything. "...Lonely." He huffed, eyes shuffling around. "Mama and Papa left with some other scientists for a business trip and Caesar is busy working on his AI thingy…"_

_Sighing quietly, he was well aware of what was happening. "You could have come visited me." He pointed out, choosing to not address his family._

_Resting his cheek against his knee, the boy mumbled again. "I thought you were bored of me…"_

_It caught the man off guard. "And why on earth would you think that?" He questioned, wondering where he got such an idea._

_"Because everyone gets bored of me. That or annoyed…" They were the words of a lonely child. He hadn't seen his adopted family in a while and his real family were all so busy lately, believing they were coming by a breakthrough._

_Thinking over the young Latino's statement, he spoke again."Well, I'm not 'bored' of you if that helps." Glancing over his shoulder, he decided to find the item later. If they didn't want Van Kleiss around, then he was sure a few more minutes wouldn't hurt them. Shuffling over, he took a seat next to Rex, resting against the wall too. "Anything you want to do?"_

_The child visibly relaxed when his friend joined his side. He appeared thankful that the man, in fact, wasn't actually bored of him. He lifted his head up and looked up at Van Kleiss. "...Just, talk?" He whispered quietly._

_He gave a soft smile. "Sure…"_

* * *

He awoke, those warm memories quickly becoming bitter again. Every night was the same and it was becoming a hassle, he had to find a way to deal with them before they began to change his actions. For now, the best he could do with check up on the boy, allowing his old self to see the young EVO was fine and didn't need any pampering.

It's how Van Kleiss found himself walking down the crooked halls again, ignoring the guards and staying silent the entire way. That was, until he caught sight of something that pushed those old, unstable, unsettled emotions.

Not believing his eyes, the man saw Rex dragging himself down the hall, relying on the wall for support as he tried to leave. Now, he knew the kid was stubborn, but this was stupid. He clearly wouldn't make it that far, and even if he made it past the guards, somehow, he'd pass out in the forest or castle doorways.

"Rex!" He called out, not caring if it caught the attention of nearby EVOs.

The young man froze in place, having not expected the older EVO to come by at such an hour. Yet he tried to ignore him, like that was somehow going to help. But he heard heavy steps from Van Kleiss's boots as he stalked over, grabbing Rex's shoulder and forcing him to stay in place, like keeping hold of a cranky toddler.

"Let go of me!" The boy snapped, heavily struggling and pulling against the man's iron grip.

The amount of struggling caused Van Kleiss to use both his hand and gauntlet to try and hold the agent. Even if Rex was clobbered, he always had a fight in him. "Nonsense. You shouldn't even be moving. God, you've probably pulled some stitching." The man ranted. He could barely process the feeling of his normally chained temper loosening.

Rex tried swatting at the older EVO."I don't want to be here! Send me back to Providence." He demanded, not caring if he sounded like a needy child.

He finally managed to get a good grip on the agent, forcing Rex to stop moving. "I already gave you my answer."

"Do it or else-" He had tried to struggle again, but the position Van Kleiss held him in caused pain when he tried to. "Gah!" He gasped, pain flaring up along his right shoulder.

Irritated by the boy's behaviour, he planted his feet. "Stop being foolish. You're in no condition to fight, let alone walk down this one hall."

Finally understanding his position, the hero stopped struggling. "I'll be fine…"

"You're not indestructible. You're a young child that needs to listen and rest." He began to slowly release Rex, hoping he wouldn't be idiotic enough to try and make a break for it.

And he didn't, but he waved his hand at the older man, a gesturing that surely meant 'piss off. "You're not my parent. Hell, you're not even a friend." He rested against the wall again, since now his leg was flaring up.

Letting out a tired and nearly riled up breath, Van Kleiss tried calming himself. "That doesn't mean I don't know what's best for you."

Rex shot his head up, scowling at the man's statement. "Providence knows what's best for me."

Believing he was returning to his normal self, the EVO king crossed his arms behind his back. "By making you a child soldier and throwing you into danger?"

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same…" The boy uttered, loud enough for Van Kleiss to hear.

His temper began to rise again, looking to the younger EVO in offence. "Excuse me?" He almost sounded like he dared the child to repeat what he said.

Giving him a side glance, Rex actually added on to his previous statement. "You only fight when none of your minions are available. And we all know I'd be one of those minions the second I'd join…"

And for a moment, Van Kleiss felt his temper be let loose. He was tired, annoyed and frustrated, along with those old thoughts lingering and messing with them. He couldn't stop himself, shooting his hand forward and gripping onto Rex's wrist. The young man seemed surprised by the outburst, but he began to wince and grimace as the older man pulled him forward

"I'll have you know that everyone has and does their job around here." The man ranted, his voice hostile and done with everything.

"A-ah, hold on-" Rex tried to speak, but he was cut off by the man continuing his lecture.

"I fight when necessary, because I'm not a fighter. I'm a leader. So stop accusing people of crimes you've made up." His grip tightened, evening raising the young Latino's hand in the air, subconsciously not noticing the pain he was causing Rex.

Said boy bit his tongue to stop himself from crying out in pain, shoulder burning up. "V-Van Kleiss, stop-" He tried to plead, but the man wasn't giving him a chance.

The EVO king didn't listen, still failing to see what he was doing. "You're always disrespectful and childish, even when I'm trying to help. I'm being reasonable, while you're just being an ungrateful brat-"

He couldn't take it anymore, nor could his nanites it seems. "Stop!" Circuit board patterned shot up his arm, glowing very intensely where Van Kleiss held him.

The moment the boy shouted, a sharp pain shot through the man's hand. Gritting his teeth, he released the boy and pulled his hand back. Laying his hand in his gauntlet, he uncurled its fingers, revealing a long and deep cut across the palm, dark red blood leaking out. Perplexed, he looked over at Rex

"Mmgh…" The boy groaned, hunched over and holding his aching arm that was still glowing. Hissing in pain, he pulled it out from hiding and looked over it. Where Van Kleiss had been holding, was a sharp piece of metal, painted with blood.

It was then that Van Kleiss realised that either Rex or his nanites created it in self-defence, reacting to the danger they felt. When the glowing stopped, the piece of metal broke off the young man, plonking as it hit the floor.

Both stared at it, then at each other. Rex's eyes were shaking, his expression filled with shock and fear. He was clearly scared of the man, but in a different way. He had never seen Van Kleiss act out in such a way. And with how helpless and vulnerable the boy was, it made it feel so much worse. And seeing the look in the young man's eyes made Van Kleiss acknowledge how he acted.

He was normally so calm and collected, maybe a little snippy when pushed, but nothing like this. Rarely did he ever snap in such a way, even rarer in front of others. He was easily annoyed, not easily angered.

Looking at his hand, he covered the wound with his fingers. "Rex…" He shot his head up, not sure on how to explain himself.

The moment the man tried stepping closer towards the boy, Rex stepped back. He didn't want this freak to touch him again. He swallowed and narrowed his eyes. "I'll go back to bed, just leave me alone…" And he began his trip back to the medical room, shyly shuffling past the older man. When he saw the EVO leader about to lean a hand, he shot him a disgusted look. "Don't...just, please don't…" Turning away, he limped away, not even looking back.

Now left in silence after the argument, Van Kleiss found himself looking at the shard of metal again. The weapon of defence used against his anger, laying there with his blood. And he felt ashamed, if you could believe it. He didn't know what to do or how to feel, but he wasn't going to push it.

Eyes softening, he turned, coat flicking with his hair. He began his trip back to his chambers, planning to patch up his hand alone.

* * *

_"Why was no one watching him?!" A woman's voice cried out, almost sobbing._

_"We're losing him!" A light accented voice called out over the sounds of alarms, rushing around in panic._

_"The nanites, we can use the nanites!" A determined yet frightened young man suggested, barely holding himself together._

_"Begin the procedure." The only remotely calm voice spoke up, trying to be strong for everyone._

_"I'm sorry, Rex…" His own voice whispered, full of shame, guilt and sorrow._

* * *

Van Kleiss opened his eyes, having dozed off at his throne again. He needed to find a way to keep himself awake while he waited around. It was a nasty habit he's always had. It's probably because he's a mild insomniac.

His eyes drifted down to his hand, which was now covered in cloth. It had been two days since his outburst. No one in the castle knew what happened, expect that Rex has gone quiet, while Van Kleiss was now sporting a bandaged hand. Biowulf had panicked the moment he saw the damaged hand, thinking an enemy had hurt his master in a fight, but Van Kleiss quickly calmed his quarrels and stated he got it from tinkering.

Speaking of Biowulf, he entered with other EVOs, carrying the harmful tank from the fight. They had asked Breach to move it, but she claimed she was 'busy' and they didn't want to push her, so they spent a good amount of time hauling it back to the castle.

When the tank was placed on the ground, the wolf EVO looked to his leader, seeing he already had the man's attention. "The substance in the tank is highly toxic. It would have poisoned the forest the river led into, even killing some of us that would have drunk the water. Without your original powers, it would have been difficult to cleanse the area."

Van Kleiss's brows furrowed. He had a feeling they were going to deal with Hunter Cain and his group later on. "I see…"

"We'll store it away later. Have to make sure there are no leaks." Biowulf explained, patting the side of the tank, careful not to cut it with his claws.

"Of course." He straightened in his throne, glaring at the lethal container. "And what did you learn of this 'Hunter Cain?' His eyes drifted back to his second in command.

As always, he answered straight away, revealing his findings. "He's a very well known EVO hater and killer. His group and him are hired to kill them, but it appears he attacked us for his personal reasons. He's given Providence problems in the past, which would explain his familiarity with Rex."

"Hmm, speaking of." Standing to his feet, reminding himself to use his false hand to push himself up, he cleared his throat. "Have you checked on our guest, recently?"

Tapping his foot, Biowulf glanced at one of the halls. "Still hasn't tried anything. Breach stays around him quite often, though." He looked back at his ruler. "Seems she likes showing him things she found."

"No escape attempts?" Van Kleiss inquired.

"Surprisingly, none." The wolf huffed. He would have expected something already.

Seeing that was all the knowledge needed, he waved his hand. "Thank you for the information. You are dismissed."

Without another word, Biowulf turned back to the other EVOs, gesturing for them to help him carry the tank away. As they did this, Van Kleiss moved away from his throne, vanishing into one of the old halls. He hadn't checked on Rex since that night, and he really didn't want to see the boy quite yet, but he also hasn't checked on his wounds for some time now. Being the only humanoid being with medical knowledge, he had no one else to send but himself.

When he arrived, he preparing himself by first inspecting the room through the door's window. As Biowulf had mentioned, Breach was sitting near Rex, displaying the small collection she wanted to show him. Rex himself didn't seem annoyed or angry, just tired and allowing the girl his attention.

"It's colourful, isn't it?" She held up a cube, covered in patches of random colours.

"It's called a Rubik's Cube, Breach." Rex clarified. He'd been helping to explain what an item was about for her. It distracted him and he was happy enough to help. "It's a puzzle. You're supposed to make each side of the cube one colour."

She gave an odd look, titling the block around. "Why?...I think it's prettier like this. Mismatched and random…"

"It's a game, one that tests the brain." He answered, watching her fiddle with the toy.

Pausing, she held it in one hand. "Do you know how to do it?..." She questioned.

He shook his head, waving a hand lightly. "Nah, I just got bored with it." He was confident he could do it, but he just didn't have the desire to do so. "It was Noah's anyway so I couldn't keep it in my spare time."

Placing the cube down, she realised she had shown all that she brought. But it did spark a question from her. "Does Rex not have any toys?"

He thought over it. "Ah, not exactly. I've got books and video games...but if you mean actual toys, I've got a red ball."

"Red ball?..." She sounded out the words.

He nodded again, shuffling a little under the covers. "It's not much and pretty old, but it calms me. I like bouncing it off the walls."

She seemed to perk up to this. "Where is it right now?..."

His face scrunched up a little, clearly trying to remember the last time he saw the darn thing. "I think I left it on my bed."

Satisfied, she rose to her feet. "I will retrieve it…"

His eyes widened, flicking his gaze to her. "Wait, what-?" But he was blinded by the red light of her portal, and when he could finally see, she was gone. "...Guess it's back to silence." He drawled, resting his head once more.

It was an odd scene to watch for Van Kleiss, and that was because it seemed so normal. Breach was known to ask for clarity on things she didn't understand, mostly asking Van Kleiss himself. So, he was fine with her asking another person, heck, she could get better answers from someone her own age. But he was surprised to see Rex willing to help her, didn't seem to matter to the boy.

"I know you're there…" Rex suddenly spoke up, cracking the silence he had commented on before. "I can feel you staring at me." He lifted his head, glancing at Van Kleiss through the opening. "What do you want?..." He was barely displaying any emotion.

Caught off guard, the older man took a moment to fix himself before entering the room. "I came to check up on you. Need to see how your wounds are doing."

"Well, I'm fantastic, so you can leave…" He sounded rather salty, but you honestly couldn't blame him.

"Rex, you need someone to check your wounds. I'm the only one qualified to do the job." The man explained, trying his best to not start up another situation.

The boy didn't reply, continuing to just stare at the man, as if waiting for him to snap again. He might not be displaying much emotion, but his body was stiff, ready to defend himself. Why did that ache the older EVO within? He had never had Rex's trust these days, so why was this any different?

Seeing this was going nowhere, he decided to come to a compromise. "At least let me check your shoulder. Then I'll leave you be."

Rex took his eyes off the man, thinking to himself. He agreed through a nod, slipping the blanket off his bandaged shoulder. Acting before the boy could change his mind, Van Kleiss stepped over and started removing the medical cloth.

Rex turned his gaze away, refusing to look at the older EVO. He kept having to bite his tongue from making any retort, making things oddly quiet. It was strange not hearing the boy quipping for once. In fact, he had never been so silent around Van Kleiss before.

The tension wasn't fun, that's for sure. It was like multiple people were watching every move they made, ready to watch a fight burst out and criticized them. Van Kleiss tried ignoring it, focusing on the wound.

It had been healing, fast, his nanites at work. However, they still need a week or two before Rex could move around without causing burning pain throughout his body. Thankfully, no infections were corrupting the wounds, despite the amount of dirt and grime that had been mixed in from the fight.

The silence was finally getting to the older man, so he decided to at least try some chit chat. "How long has Hunter Cain been an issue?"

Being the one caught off guard this time, Rex stared at him in surprise. At first, he didn't feel like talking, but something inside made him, even encouraged it. "The past year I guess. He just showed up one day and nearly blasted me…"

Resisting the urge to frown, Van Kleiss used a wet cloth to dab away some of the dry blood. "And why is he hell-bent on killing all EVOs?..."

"Apparently his wife turned EVO and he thinks it's an infection, like, only EVOs carry nanites and are spreading them." Rex explained, fiddling with the blanket with his free hand, biting his lip as the man cleaned his wound.

"That's just fatuous. That's not how any of that works." Van Kleiss muttered to himself, loudly.

"You try telling him that…" The boy snorted, thinking back on his arguments with the hunter.

Even though he knew the Hunter would never listen, Van Kleiss had a feeling he'd be constantly repeating the truth to the man. He just couldn't believe such people existed. But as he thought up an imaginative argument, he wrapped up the clean wound in fresh bandages. He could deal with the other wounds when Rex was asleep or something.

The boy didn't say anything, just staring at his shoulder, expressionless. Van Kleiss didn't know what else to say, he couldn't chat with the boy, at least, not like he used to.

But when he saw the young EVO shiver, he realised that Breach had returned. Dragging herself out of the portal, she clutched a red ball in her hands, a pleased smile on her lips. She didn't say anything to Van Kleiss, simply walking past him and displaying the ball to Rex.

He stared at it, eyes wide. "You...actually got it?"

"Yes…" She giggled, like she had her own personal joke she wasn't going to tell.

As Rex sat up to take it, continuing to talk to the girl, Van Kleiss back up in silence. He made his exit while they were distracted, preparing to get back to work. But that feeling was still growing, he knew if not dealt with soon, it would soon become problematic...

* * *

_"This is all your fault!" The mother screamed at him, holding back her tears._

_"We never trusted you!" The brother reminded him once again, venom in his voice._

_"I should have forbidden him from seeing you, now look at what has happened!" The father accused, threatening what they built._

* * *

Cracking his eyes open, Van Kleiss lifted his cheek off his hand he rested upon. Again, no changes in the present, his earthly kingdom and throne room the same. Yet old memories kept tempting him. Reminding him of a past that no longer mattered. At least, that's what he always told himself.

Gazing up at the small cracks, there was little light shining through, indicating the sun was setting. The night would consume the land, but he was so restless, constantly pushed by these questions and recollection. He wanted to speak about it, if only for a moment.

Looking to his left, he saw his second in command, the wolf EVO resting his eyes. His most loyal follower would always be close, eager to defend and watch over his master, his alpha.

Clearing his throat, the EVO king spoke. "Biowulf, may I ask you for your insight?"

Eyes snapping open, Biowulf turned to his ruler, bowing his head lightly in respect. "Of course, master."

"Do you think it was right to help Rex?" Van Kleiss openly questioned, tone calm and collected. But he was intrigued to hear another viewpoint.

The wolf looked to the humanoid EVO, processing the questions. There were times where Van Kleiss would ask what appeared to be personal questions, wanting another opinion on a difficult subject at hand. During these times, Biowulf was allowed to speak openly, not trying to purposely praise his leader. Seems this was one of those times.

"...Yes." He uttered, lifting his head and staring at his master. He sounded nervous, unsure of how Van Kleiss would take his answer, but he continued. "As much as I hate the boy and the people he works with, I can't dismiss what he did." He didn't look away as he spoke, speaking the truth on how he felt. His thoughts lingered back onto the fight they came by, the sight of the child soldier being battered and struck down. "Risking his life to save some of us is...noble of him." And he was being honest, truthful and genuine in his words. "The least we can do is return the favour." He sighed, glancing away. He was afraid to admit he was ashamed himself. If it had been Providence needing the saving, he knew very well Abysus would turn their backs to them. And yet, this child put aside his views to do what was right. Something very few would do, not even himself.

Tapping his needled fingers, Van Kleiss's eyes drifted towards his bandaged hand. He thought back on the boy's cold attitude towards him, shunning the man, even when he tried to help. "Do you think he'd ever join us?"

The wolf took a long pause, weighing the opinions with facts and hope. "...maybe once he could have." He grimly admitted, sharp ruby eyes shining in the dim light. "But the number of times we nearly killed each other, the life he's made with Providence and his ideals." He took a moment to glance at one of the halls, the one that would lead them to their 'guest's' location. "No, not anymore…"

And that's what Van Kleiss dreaded to hear. He knew it was the truth, but he needed someone else to say it. The boy would never join them, for he led a different path. And this path was different from almost everyone, even Providence. He was looking for a middle ground, whether it existed or not.

And no matter how things were before, time and fated changed them all. Such unfair things, even if for the better. However, it could never stop the past from haunting you, no matter the denial or desires.

* * *

The EVO leader entered his chambers, his talk with Biowulf still lurking in his mind. It had been a while since his emotions were this unstable. He learnt to latch them down and throw the key away as he began leading Abysus years ago. Sadly, these feelings were rusting the chains, breaking out and ready to torment him again. Now he had to find a way to make new chains, along with a new key.

But as he thought to himself, removing his coat, something was ringing in the background. Right away, his eyes looked to his old wooden desk, the thing covered in papers, books and objects he tinkered with. However, it was a foreign object making the noise.

As he got closer, he saw Rex's earpiece, a voice speaking through. Carefully plucking it off the desk, he held it near his ear. To his surprise, it wasn't the good Doctor pleading again.

The monotone agent in green could be heard. **_'Rex, I don't know if you can hear me, but we might have a lead on your location. Just sit tight, we'll find you…'_** Like normal, the man tried hiding his emotions, but even his voice was tainted with worry.

With this knowledge, Van Kleiss lowered the earpiece. He would have to warn the guards to keep watch, for Providence might have finally figured out something.

But something else was itching away at him. The amount of times he told Rex that Providence would leave him behind, would never care for him and abandon him started to become false. Holiday never stopped calling each day, and his scouts had told him that Providence has been spread out almost everywhere, most likely looking for their missing agent.

Did they really care for the child? Or was he just an important weapon to them? The older EVO's ideals were becoming doubtful. Though he would never admit me, as Providence would never get his approval. What they fought for would be the end of all he's worked towards, along with himself...

* * *

Abysus was always a scary-looking place. Sky red with haunting clouds, ragged vines sprouting everywhere and monsters wandering the land. Nevertheless, their mornings were always a pleasant sight, the only time anyone could look at it and agree there was beauty in such a world.

And yet, the ruler barely spared a glance at such a sight. He had dove so far in his work, that his wonder for the nature around him faded so long ago. No more relaxing walks in the forest, no early rising just to see the sunrise, not even feeding local birds to calm his nerves. And the sad thing? It wasn't intentional, he just got so caught up in what he was doing, that it all slipped his mind, never reminding himself to stop and look at what mother nature painted.

So, as Van Kleiss walked down the hall, he barely acknowledged the warm hues that lit up his castle, the animals EVOs that ran in the fields or the fresh wind that whistled through the many cracks around the place.

The only thing he was focused on was following his schedule, and at the top of it was to check on a young EVO. The boy wouldn't even be awake so early, at least, that's how it normally was. So Van Kleiss was surprised to walk in, seeing no one laying in the medical bed. Rather, Rex sitting on the windowsill, staring out at the world, curiosity filling his eyes.

With the morning hues painting the boy, sitting in a familiar position and gazing out with wonder in his eyes, a brief memory plastered Van Kleiss's vision. He still looked so much like the little boy he once knew, and despite how much he has changed, he still carried features and traits as he grew up.

The man felt his chest tighten, harshly swatting away the memory. "What are you doing?"

Rex finally decided to look at the older EVO, raising a brow. He was annoyed his quiet time was disturbed. "I just wanted to sit by the window." He snarked. "What, is that a crime out here or something?" He waved his hand briefly, before resting it on his knee again.

His sarcastic attitude and quips had been slowly coming back, recovering from Van Kleiss's outburst days ago. However, his body would still stiffen whenever the man was near.

Shaking his head and choosing to ignore the attitude, the man walked over to Rex. "Since you've moved anyway, can you tell me how your leg is?"

But he didn't get a response. The younger EVO just stared at him, lower eyelids risen ever so slightly. He chose to keep looking outside, resting his head on the arc of the window.

_'And here we go again...'_ Van Kleiss sighed internally. "Rex, you need to talk to me on this."

Rex's eyes shot back at the older EVO. "I only trust one person with my medical problems, and you're not her…"

"Ah, yes, Miss Holiday." Van Kleissed mused, thinking back on all the panic calls she had been sending in. "The only somewhat decent member of Providence."

"Maybe you should call her over, that'd be swell." Rex proposed, a twitch of a smirk on his lips.

"And practically signal the agent in green over here?" The leader could only imagine the body count afterwords. "Lords knows how many he'd kill."

"He is my aggro nanny." The boy remarked, knowing full well the damage his guardian would cause.

"You're his job, he's tasked to take care of you." Van Kleiss openly spoke, not realising he should have filtered such a question.

Snapping his head up, the boy's face scrunched in irritation. "No, he's not…"

Raising a brow and watching the child's body language, Van Kleiss decided to test the boy. He wasn't sure why, perhaps to learn more about Rex, to see if their previous conversations affected him, or maybe he had a tiny amount of foolish hope the young EVO could still see things his way. "I'm sure if White knight told you to partner up with someone else, the agent would stand by. He uses to be a mercenary, it's his job to follow who pays him."

"Use to be. He cares about me." Rex retorted, giving Van Kleiss a cautious look.

The older man couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "And you believe that?"

"Don't try and turn me against him." Rex straightened his back, eyes staring directly at his arch-nemesis. "It's the same shtick you pulled before, with my brother." He had quickly caught onto what the man was trying.

But the sudden mention of the older Salazar caused a change in Van Kleiss. His sort of pleasant facade faded quickly, eyes narrowing and face souring. "Unlike the agent, I know Caesar." Again, memories and voices lingered in the back of his mind, remembering something negative for once. "Why do you keep placing your trust in him. He's not what you want him to be, he never was." And it was the truth, even if Rex didn't remember. "He cares more about his work than the people around him, you'll see." All the times that young boy wandered into his lab, looking for attention after his older brother dismissed him time and time again. "And he won't ever be there in your time of need…"

"Shut up!" Rex snapped, hands raised in a frustrated gesture. "Just stop! Alright? I get it, you hate providence, you hate Six, you hate White, you hate my brother, you hate me! You don't have to keep reminding me." He placed a hand on his chest when he mentioned himself. He was tired of all these mind games and lies, why couldn't that man see that Rex no longer cared what he thought? "What makes you think I'd listen to a freak like you?..." His eyes narrowed dangerously, hissing to emphasize the word 'freak'.

And that word echoed throughout Van Kleiss's mind, a taunt that stung and stalked his history. He had heard it from so many that it became somewhat of a trigger word. But somehow, it hurt to hear it come from Rex. The boy was in no way regarding the man's EVO side, for that would be hypocritical of himself. No, he was regarding the man as a whole. His personality, actions, mind and so on.

His fists tightened and his expression must have become sharp and off-putting, as Rex's tilted his head, unable to place the older man's emotions. As the man straightened, the young EVO feared he might lose his temper again, arms ready to defend himself. But that didn't happen, Van Kleiss just gave him a cold look, before flicking around and drifting out of the room.

Perplexed, Rex stared at the door, as if expecting the man to suddenly return or hear him. But he didn't, and the boy was left to sit in the morning light, alone.

* * *

He tried to calm his nerves, first by focusing on other tasks, then talking to Skalamander and Biowulf over trivial things, then tinkering in his chambers, but nothing made him feel better. The label 'freak' still clinging to him.

Frustrated, he dropped the object he was fiddling with, seeing as he was getting nowhere with it. The item clicked when hitting the desk, shaking around before settling.

Rubbing his forehead, he tried thinking of something else to distract himself. Lord knows how fitful his sleep was going to be tonight, expecting some heavy memories to attack him in the night.

When he heard the familiar beep of Rex's earpiece, he gave it his full attention. He expected it to be the Doctor again, maybe the agent, but the voice on the other end only made his mood worse, blood even boiling a little.

_**'Mijo? We're running out of ideas on where you've gone. Just, if there's any way you could give us a sign, please…'**_ Caesar pleaded, worried over his little brother and where he could be.

Reacting out of anger, Van Kleiss knocked the darn thing off his desk, as if he hoped to hit the man on the other end. Caesar hated him, and he hated Caesar.

They had never liked each other, always arguing, calling each other names, discrediting each other's work, always so open to talk behind the other's back. But Van Kleiss would never take the blame, for he never wanted to start such a pity rivalry that turned into bitter hatred. The older Salazar could never let things go.

But now it was worse, because Caesar was accepted. The world still hated Van Kleiss and was never afraid to show this. All the attacks, accusations and fears towards the man have only grown. He was labelled a monster, when he had been the only one to take in the unwanted. He even invited Rex, for he knew how unwanted the child had once been, how the world would see him as a monster, rather than their hero. They didn't deserve someone like the boy if they were going to call him such things.

But when Caesar returned, after five years, he's welcomed back into the world with a new job, his brother back and treated kindly, even if he was a little strange. Why did he, the man who doomed humanity, ignored his little brother and criticize another fellow scientist for being different, get to have it all? Everything was always handed to him and no one called him out on it, no one but Van Kleiss.

He was sure Rex would see the truth one day, see how his brother cares only for his work, could never support him and lie because he didn't know any better. Van Kleiss even openly warned the young Salazar to be wary of his brother, for he would not be the family the child desired. He never was in the past, so why would that change now?

But he couldn't let his anger go. The stress of the past days had slowly been getting to him. His daily work had been hard enough, so being forced to deal with someone who he once called a friend and be taunted by memories was tugging away at him. He wanted it to stop.

So, as he raised his gauntlet, extending the needles on the end and twirling his fingers, an idea formed in his head. He knew how he could end this, by taking what he so rightfully deserved from the boy, the Omega Nanite.

Before ending his life...

* * *

He didn't care what they would think of him in the morning. Biowulf would eventually get over it, Skalamander might go quiet, Breach would definitely be mad, but he didn't care, at least that's what he kept telling himself.

Van Kleiss dragged himself down the halls with dark purpose, heavy boots shuffled across the ground, body angled forward to move faster. Again, only the guards at night saw him, but none dared to say anything. They were to leave him be.

Coming to the broken medical door, the man didn't bother looking before entering. Thankfully, Rex was already asleep, stuck in a deep slumber and didn't hear the man enter. But the boy appeared to be squirming under the covers, back to Van Kleiss. It would make things easier.

Holding up his golden arm, the older man stretched out his needle fingers, briefly gazing at them as they glimmered in the pale moonlight, soon to be coated in red.

He didn't care, he repeated to himself. This was war, life and death didn't matter, only success. And if it meant these visions would end, he was willing to take a life, even if it once mattered to him.

Fingers curled, he reached the gauntlet towards the slumbering teenager, preparing for a struggle. But the boy so happened to flip over onto his other side, wrestling in his sleep. He looked...so helpless. Now showing his wincing face, it was clear he must have been suffering from another nanite dream. Vulnerable to their work, suffering from the side effects, even if it was for the better.

It stopped Van Kleiss in his actions, for it looked so familiar. Visions flashing in his head, making him pull back. The echoes of screams and alarms, the blood of a child painting the floor, tears pouring from his family's eyes and the guilt that ate away at him.

He did care, because it was his fault. And his old self was going to remind him of these days, because no matter the denial, they were his thoughts, it was his life. And now, it would remind him of a promise...

* * *

_It was late. With bags under his eyes and shame cloaking him, he made his way to the medical room. It had been a few days since the accident, one that would surely haunt him for the rest of his life. But he had to see the boy, he had to know he was doing better. Even with the threats and fingers pointed at him, mostly from the child's family, he wasn't going to back off so easily, not with these raw emotions clawing at him._

_So he had waited, waited and waited for the right moment to see Rex. He wanted to make sure his parents or brother weren't lingering around. Thankfully, someone convinced them to head home and rest, they deserved it the most._

_Sadly, he didn't account for someone else. The child's godfather and his fellow co-worker._

_Cracking open the med bay door, he was greeted by Rylander's back, sitting and blocking Van Kleiss's view of the child. Biting his lip, he tried to sneak off right away._

_"I expected you to come by." Rylander spoke up, raising his head and taking his gaze away from the boy._

_Van Kleiss stopped in his tracks. He didn't have to say anything or explain himself, but this could be the only time he would get to see his young friend. Sighing quietly, he strolled in, hovering behind the other scientist._

_Craning his neck, he tried to get a better look at Rex. "...How is he?"_

_"He'll recover." Rylander stated, a neutral tone to his voice. "The nanites are doing wonders for him. But it'll be a while before he wakes up." His eyes briefly glanced at the other man, before he shuffled his chair over._

_Noting the adjusting space, Van Kleiss shuffled over to the bed. There laid the young lad, covered in medical equipment. IVs, oxygen mask, bandages, heart montoir and even a nanite tube. You could barely recognize him under all of that 'junk'. But he wasn't deathly still, like how Van Kleiss pictured it. He was constantly shuffling around in the bed, fingers twitching, face scrunching to the pain throughout his body, breathing hitching and uneven. A fitful slumber for such a young patient._

_It hurt to watch, for there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the power to stop the pain or calm the sleeping child. They wouldn't even let him help with his medical knowledge. But he understood, he didn't trust himself either, as he too couldn't stop blaming himself. Yet he wanted to do something, even if it was little. So he started to fix the blankets around the child, even picking up a pillow on the floor that must have slid off. It didn't matter, since the Rex would keep struggling and messing up the bedding again._

_Watching the man's fruitless efforts, Rylander spoke up again. "Why do you do this, Van Kleiss?" He rested his hands on his lap, giving the other man a knowing look. "You already know we don't approve of you, so why try and build a friendship with their son?"_

_"Because no one else here will." He explained himself, frowning at the fact Rylander didn't get it. "He comes to me, I don't force him. He just wants someone to talk to…"_

_The godfather paused, glancing between Van Kleiss and the injured Rex. "...Do you care for him?"_

_Caught off guard, Van Kleiss's eyes widened, not expecting such a question. But he felt like he had to answer. "Well, of course...he's the only one to treat me with any decency." He huffed lightly, but with eyes full of shame and guilt._

_"And how do you honestly feel about what happened?" Rylander pushed, expression barely changing._

_"...I feel guilty...I had been watching him. Then he left my sight for a minute and…" The wounds were still fresh, it was still so hard to even talk about it._

_Seeing the other man struggling with his words, Rylander spoke again. "Look, I won't tell you to stay away, his parents and brother already tried that." He began to rise to his feet, pushing the chair to the side. "So I'll ask you to be careful when you do spend time together, I don't want another situation like this to happen again."_

_Snapping his eyes back at his co-worker, Van Kleiss raised a brow. "You think I won't try harder to keep him in my sight?"_

_"I'm asking you to take care of him when he is in your sight…" Rylander clarified. "It's all I can ask of you." He looked directly into the eyes of the other man. "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll at least always watch out for him…"_

_Those words were heavy, attached to a promise that he knew would be dragged around like a ball chained to his ankle. If he accepted, it would always be stuck with him._

_"...of course." Van Kleiss nodded._

* * *

Eyes flaring open, the EVO leader could feel his breathing shaking. Realization in his eyes, he stared at the palm of his gauntlet, the horror of what he was about to commit teasing him, calling him out on what he dared to do.

Fist tightening, he looked away from his false hand in disgust. His eyes landed on Rex, the young teen still in a fitful sleep, laying on his back. It was the same in the past, a side effect from the machines that swarmed inside of him. The same machines that saved his life and would never listen to Van Kleiss the same way as they did with Rex.

So the consequences would outweigh what little he would have gained from stealing the Omega. How foolish he was, trying to fight against his emotions, only to be manipulated by them in the end. He could only be so thankful his old self was still deep within him, no matter how many times he chained him up.

Not trusting himself, his hands fell to his side and he sped walked out of the room. No longer could he be in denial and lie to himself, as it was no longer working, and that scared him...

* * *

_"Rex, Rex?!" Van Kleiss called out, the young child having thrown and fit and runoff._

_Rex had been adjusting to his nanites and today they wanted to test his strange new abilities again. Something had been off with the child, however. He seemed agitated, nervous and fidgety. Next thing everyone knew, he shouted at them and ran off in a blind panic._

_Ever since he had recovered, the child wasn't the same anymore. So scared, nervous and often angry, followed by his new abilities, more specifically, technokinesis. So when he did have outbursts or was in distress, technology nearby would react, often dangerously. So it was wise to find and calm down the child._

_Van Kleiss had joined the search, despite Caesar's protest, and scouted out any of Rex's hiding spots that he knew off. In the end, he found the child in one of the unoccupied labs, standing and shaking his head, hands gripping his ears as the lights flickered._

_"Mmghhh…" Rex groaned, eyes watering and rubbing his ears._

_Without hesitation, Van Kleiss slid in front of Rex, kneeling down and placing his hands on the child's shoulders "Rex, what's wrong? Why did you run off?"_

_"It hurts…" The child whimpered, grimacing._

_"What does?" The man questioned, exclaiming the young Salazar's body language._

_Letting out a whine, Rex cracked open a teary eye. "My head. It's too loud!"_

_"Loud? What are you hearing?" He tilted his head, wanting a clear answer so he knew how to help._

_"All the machines! They keep talking." Rex cried out, arms hugging his face and muffling against his sleeves. "Make it stop, it hurts…"_

_Van Kleiss's face fell. "I'm afraid I can't, only you can make it stop…"_

_"Mgh…" The child mewled, body shaking as his head pounced._

_Using his hands to steady the child, the older man tried rubbing his back for comfort. "Easy Rex, easy…" Then a solution popped into his head, one that he was surprised he didn't think of earlier. "Here, follow me." He offered his hand._

_The boy cracked an eye open, gazing at the hand then at his friend. Swallowing and hesitantly lowering his arms, he took the man's hand, gripping rather tightly._

_Keeping the boy close, they both began to speed walk down the laboratory halls. Careful not to catch anyone's attention, Van Kleiss took the young boy outside, where there was no technology screaming at the poor child. __And his plan seemed to work, as by the time they stopped at the edge of the woods, the boy began to settle, finally able to hear himself think. But his eyes still watered and was in shock. He used the end of his sleeves to begin wiping his eyes, staying close to his friend for support._

_"Better?..." Van Kleiss calmly asked, rubbing the child's shoulder to comfort him._

_Sniffling a little, he looked up with red puffy eyes. "Ah Huh…" But as he glanced around, he fiddled with his fingers nervously. "But I'm not allowed to leave the labs...now that I'm…" He stared at the floor, thinking of the right word. "Different." But even that word didn't sound right._

_Biting his tongue, the man sighed and knelt down again. "You have to understand where everyone is coming from. Other subjects haven't displayed such abilities…"_

_"So I'm just a guinea pig?" Rex hiccuped, the explanation scaring him._

_Eyes widening, Van Kleiss quickly changed his words, desperately not wanting the poor kid to start wailing again. "No, no, far from it. You're special, Rex, very special…"_

_"...Really?" The child's eyes begin to fill with curiosity. He was still struggling to understand what was going on with himself, having woken up with strange powers in the medical bay one day._

_Nodding warmly, the man continued. "No one else can do what you can do…"_

_The boy looked at his hands, thinking over the statement directed at him. Then, he finally smiled, looking up at Van Kleiss eagerly. "Like a superhero?"_

_Blinking, the man chuckled softly and gave a fond look. "If you want it to be."_

_"Then you can be my sidekick!" Rex pointed at him, grinning and laughing lightly._

_Raising a brow, Van Kleiss pretended to be intrigued. "Oh?"_

_"You'll just have to find a way to keep up." The boy said, looking him up and down._

_And then they both went silent, but it wasn't awkward, rather comforting. Allowing a moment of peace after a nervous event. Both gazed at the faint stars that were beginning to join the night sky, the sun setting behind the mountains to shine its day elsewhere._

_"...Uncle Kleiss?" Rex broke the silence, rubbing his palm shamefully._

_"Yes?" He looked down, giving the boy his attention once again._

_The child looked up, large brown eyes displaying the guilt he felt. "I'm sorry for wandering off that night…" He doesn't remember much of the accident, other than one moment he was playing around, the next he was laying in pain as everything went black._

_Van Kleiss's eyes drifted away, his own guilt shining in his eyes. "I should have been keeping a better eye on you."_

_"I should have listened…" Rex pointed out, hugging his arms. "It's my fault I'm weird now." He mumbled, the sound of machines echoing in the back of his mind._

_Instantly, the man knelt down once more, holding the boy by the shoulders. "Rex, you are not weird and never will be." He couldn't let the boy thinks this way, or believe all the negative views others will have on him. After all, the man himself was all too familiar with such a way of living. "Listen to me when I tell you that being different isn't bad. It makes you a wonderful and unique person, you always have been." He spoke softly and so genuine with his words. "These powers just make you a little more special." He offered a kind smile._

_Rex's baby eyes widened to those words, the glitter of courage, love and shock made his eyes sparkle. And he knew Van Kleiss wasn't lying to him, for he deeply trusted his friend. So he offered his own smile back, tilting his head with a toothy grin._

_But both their smiles fading when they heard someone rushing over, disturbing their talk by calling out._

_"Van Kleiss!" Caesar shouted, sliding to a stop when he reached their location. "What are you doing, bringing him out here?!" The older Salzar demanded to know, fearing all the risks he could have put his baby brother through._

_Quickly jumping to the older man's defence, Rex jogged over to his big brother, tugging at the Salazar's pants. "Caesar, it's ok! I wanted too…"_

_His whole demeanour softened as the older brother bent down, scooping up Rex in his arms. "You're not allowed out here. What if you got hurt, Mijo?" He reminded his brother, softly. He wasn't mad at the poor boy, just overcome with worry._

_Rex's eyes fell, fiddling with his fingers again. "I'm sorry…"_

_Sighing, Caesar tilted his baby brother's face up, showing that he wasn't angry with Rex. "Let's just get you back inside." He then narrowed his eyes, looking to the man he was yelling at just mere seconds ago. "And I've already told you to stay away from us…"_

_"Caesar…" Rex whined, pleading his brother would just let it go._

_Raising a hand, Van Kleiss stopped the boy from saying anything else. "It's fine Rex." His eyes drifted to Caesar, containing his bitter tone towards his co-worker. "We can deal with that later, just take your brother back to his room."_

_Caesar raised a brow, giving the man a suspicious look, but didn't say anything for once. He only huffed and turned, holding his little brother close as they began their trip back to the labs. As they did, Rex poked his head over Caesar's shoulder, offering one last smile to his friend. Van Kleiss gave one right back._

_"Bye…" The little boy uttered, waving his tiny hand..._

* * *

For once, he wasn't angry towards one of these memories. For it reminded him that no matter, any friendship with the boy would always be disproved and people would always get in the way. He had to accept that, especially now that the boy hated him.

Ever since that one accident, Rex's world changed. He was different from both humans and EVOs, with abilities that only a few dared to try and recreate. Powers that were never going to help Van Kleiss and Abysus.

Quietly, the man entered the medical room. Breach and Rex had been talking, something about music, he wasn't really listening. But they cut off their conversation when the EVO leader entered, the man radiating a strange aura. He barely said a word to them, wandering over to the cabinets.

Both teens stared, occasionally glancing at each other in confusion. Rex didn't know Van Kleiss well enough to understand if this was normal behaviour, and Breach had never seen him act like this. Neither aware of what crime the man nearly committed that night.

He pulled something out of the cabinet, but Rex couldn't see it from his position. Breach gave the man an odd look, staring at the items in Van Kleiss's hand

"Van Kleiss?..." Breach uttered, honestly nervous with her leader.

Then the man turned, revealing a syringe in his real hand, an unknown liquid carried inside. He stalked towards Rex, the young EVO's eyes widening as he shuffled back in the bed, panic the man was trying to poison him, and without being subtle about it.

Rex tried pulling away when the man grabbed him, angling the needle. "Woah, woah! What-?" He grit his teeth when the substance was injected.

Slipping the needle out, the man stepped back. Breach jumped to her feet, afraid her favourite had hurt Rex, but knowing full well that she wouldn't be allowed to do anything. The boy himself rubbed the injection point, beginning to feel strange.

He groaned and grunted, opening his eyes to see everything going dizzy. He wasn't strong enough to combat it, so he passed out rather quickly, slumping onto his side. The last thing he saw was Van Kleiss, the man's eyes staring at him with an empty gaze.

The man waited, seeing if the boy was simply playing possum or wouldn't wake up instantly. When he was satisfied, he spoke, not even looking at his follower. "Breach, get a portal ready. We're taking him home…

* * *

Landing outside of Providence, Van Kleiss felt the freezing desert night cling to him, absorbing the natural Abysus warmth. Glancing around, he didn't see anyone, using a blind spot he had found a while back.

Breach followed behind, carrying Rex herself. The man didn't feel confident in carrying the agent, so he gathered up Rex's belongings, tasking the girl to take the young boy.

Gently, the female EVO slowly lowered Rex just outside of the gateway, using the pillow, that she insisted on bringing, to rest the boy's head on. Van Kleiss just placed the boy's folded clothes next to him, his phone, earpiece, red ball and goggles resting on top. They didn't have long, for the drug keeping the boy knocked out would be fading quickly.

Lifting his head, Van Kleiss heard movement. Seeing the nearby corner light up, he realised patrolling guards were about to spot them. Huffing, he looked to Breach, the girl already understanding and raising her hands. Giving Rex one final look, the both of them vanished, leaving him in Providence's care.

Just after the red portal faded, a guard turned a corner, thinking they heard something. They had to do a double-take when their light caught sight of Rex. Surprised, they called out to the others, the group rushing over and examining the boy that they had been endlessly been searching for.

One guard clicked their earpiece. "We need assistance."

* * *

He was hovering in darkness again, but the boy was scared. He didn't know what Van Kleiss was doing and kept expecting the worst. Perhaps he had pushed the man too far or something snapped inside of him. He rushed his nanites to remove the substance from his body, concerned for his safety. However, to his surprise, he was hearing a feminine voice calling out to him. One so motherly and full of love and care. Though he was also hearing someone clicking their fingers close to his face, trying to wake him up.

Groaning, he bit his tongue and pushed his eyelids up, momentarily being blinded by familiar white walls and roof, harsh lights shining down on him as if he entered Heaven's gates. He also became aware he was laying on something flat and metallic, most likely an examination table. The earthy smells he had grown used to, no longer there, instead a very clean environment.

"Rex, can you hear me?" The voice spoke to him, clicking their fingers again.

As his eyes began to settle, the dark blobs in his vision began to shape into familiar people. "...Holiday?..." Rex groaned, squinting a little.

"Oh thank goodness…" She let out a sigh of relief, having been so scared he had another memory wipe.

Harshly blinking, his vision settled. First, he stretched his fingers, making sure he could move them, before beginning to sit up. Gazing around the room, it was confirmed that he was no longer in Abysus, back home in Providence. More specifically, the Petting Zoo tower.

Looking to the side, he saw Bobo plopped on a chair, feet resting on a table. Caesar was close to Holiday, eyes full of worry and concern for his baby brother, but giving a gentle smile once Rex looked at him. By the wall was Six, the man, of course, leaning against the wall, watching from a slight distance.

"Welcome back, sunshine." Bobo jested, secretly feeling a lot of tension leave his shoulders.

The boy gave a baffled look around the room, checking everything at least twice. "What? How did?..."

"We don't know." Six spoke up, finally leaving the wall to walk over. "The last we saw of you was when we were trying to locate Hunter Cain. You suddenly ran off after finding something." He stopped by Rex's side, raising a brow and crossing his arms.

Rubbing his head, along with ignoring Six's parenting tone of voice, he spoke. "Mgh, he tricked us. He was really out at Abysus…"

Frowning, Six stared at the young EVO. "You went to Abysus, alone?"

Biting his lip, Rex remembers that he didn't, in fact, tell them what was going on before he left for Abysus."I barely made it in time before he could dump a tank full of poison in the river…"

"And the bullet holes?..." Holiday inquired, fretting over the boy and what she was seeing.

"...He got a couple of shots in." He admitted, thinking back to the fight.

Caesar piped up, leaning over as he gestured to his brother's wounds. "And the bandages? Your wounds have been taken care of, where were you hiding?"

Looking at his clothed wounds, Rex spoke without thinking. "It was Van Kleiss. He patched me up, but refused to let me leave."

"He what?" Caesar hissed, fearing for the worst. He never trusted the man, so who knows what he had down to his baby brother while he was missing. But, for now, he held back his anger. "Then how did you end up outside?"

"I, what?..." The boy blinked, the last thing he remembers was Van Kleiss drugging him.

Six decided to clarify, fixing his sunglasses."Some guards found you knocked out, laying by one of the gateways."

Rex tried to think back, hoping maybe he blindly woke up at random or maybe remember if he heard anything, but nothing came to him. "I don't remember. It's all a little hazy."

Pulling his feet off the desk, Bobo twirled a hand. "I guess that explains why four arms chick appeared in our room."

Perking up, Rex gave the chimp and odd look. "Wait, you saw Breach?"

"She appeared out of nowhere and stole your ball." He flung his hands up, clearly annoyed. "And no one believed me."

Raising a brow, Rex looked to the others. Six didn't do anything while Caesar glanced away. Holiday shook her head lightly before looking back at the boy.

"We thought he was messing around." She shrugged, giving a look that said 'Would you believe him?'

The boy smiled lightly, seeing everything was still the same now that he was home. Slowly, he twisted his body, legs dangling off the edge. Stepping forward, Six took one of Rex's arms, hanging it over his shoulder, giving the young man support.

"Come on, we'll take you to your room…" The agent offered, already suspecting his ward to already be tired and just wanting to lay around.

Leaning against his guardian, Rex huffed a quiet chuckle. "Home sweet home."

* * *

Weeks had gone by, and everyone's lives seemed to go back to normal. Providence stopped their searches and went back to their daily jobs. Most recently, trying to figure out where in the world had Hunter Cain gone. Most already suspected he was dead, after Rex told them Breach took them.

Abysus was still going with their secret ways, the oddity of the world. But their leader was acting differently. Quieter, reserved and barely acknowledging anyone, even his closest followers. Many assumed he was planning something, requiring alone time to figure it out. Oh, how wrong they were. For it was deep-seated emotions toying with the man, feelings he was trying to chain down again.

Even now, as he stood on top of a building, watching his EVO minions fight against the Providence soldiers they came by, he didn't display any emotions, just watching and thinking to himself. The two sides battling barely catching his attention.

That's when he heard the engines of something flying to him, kicking up dust behind him as the person landed gracefully and with purpose. He didn't even need to turn to know it was Rex, feeling the boy's stare in the back of his head.

And for a while, neither said anything, mostly because they didn't know what to say. One didn't know the full situation, while the other knew too much.

"Why?..." Rex finally spoke, keeping his distance from the strange man. "I don't get it. One minute, you're trying to kill me, the other you're trying to help me." He questioned the logic, hoping for a reason.

Straightening his back and lifting his eyes, Van Kleiss openly replied, but didn't look to the young EVO. "It was a one-time thing. We owed you."

Shaking his head, the boy was unsatisfied, along with seeing there must have been a bigger picture. "It's more than that though. I know it is!" He called out, raising his hands in a confused manner. "You won't even look at me." He pointed out. He didn't sound hurt, but rather baffled.

Feeling a spark of unwanted emotions, the man turned sideways, glancing at Rex. "You're trying to make this more complicated than it actually is."

The boy's lower eyelids rose, not buying anything the man kept repeating. "You could have killed me, you could have taken the Omega, you could have held me hostage against Providence." Once again, he gestured at himself in a bewildered manner, somewhat pleading with the man. "Why was it different this time? It can't just be that I helped."

The Older EVO stared right back, his cloak flowing in the wind as they both stood in silence. "...Perhaps, perhaps not." He finally looked away, moving to the edge of the building. "Perhaps I made a promise a while ago." He uttered, loud enough for the boy to hear. He didn't need to look to know the boy would have looked even more confused. Standing on the edge, he looked up at the sky, musing himself. "Old memories come at a cost Rex, be thankful you don't have to suffer from them…"

And, before the young boy could throw any more questions, the man jumped off the edge, only to be caught by a bug EVO, its massive wings fluttering like mad and grumbling a roar. Hanging on one of its legs, the king looked to Rex.

The agent didn't move, didn't even try to follow or make him stay, as that's was all the man would tell him and he knew that, so why press on when he would never tell the truth? But that statement told Rex a lot. Whatever was going on, a lot of it came from the past. A past he could no longer remember. Yes, it was a curse to have memories, but it hurt and confused you when you didn't know the whole story.


End file.
